Upaka, Upāka: 10 definitions

Introduction
In Hinduism
1. Purana
In Buddhism
1. Theravada
Languages
1. Pali
2. Sanskrit
See also

Introduction:

Upaka means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

Upaka (उपक).—The kingdom of.^*

* Matsya-purāṇa 121. 52.

context information

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.

In Buddhism

Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Pali Kanon: Pali Proper Names

1. Upaka

An Ajivaka whom the Buddha met on his way between Gaya and the Bodhi Tree, after he set out from Isipatana for the preaching of the First Sermon. Upaka questioned the Buddha on his attainments, and when the Buddha told him what he had accomplished he asked the Buddha if he were Anantajina. When the Buddha acknowledged it, Upaka shook his bead saying, It may be so, friend, and went along by another road (J.i.81; Vin.i.8; M.i.170-1; DhA.iv.71-2). It is said (DA.ii.471) that the Buddha walked all the way from the Bodhi Tree to Isipatana - instead of flying through the air, as is the custom of Buddhas - because he wished to meet Upaka.

After this meeting Upaka went to the Vankahara country and there, having fallen desperately in love with Capa, the daughter of a huntsman who looked after him, starved for seven days and in the end persuaded the huntsman to give her to him in marriage. For a living, Upaka hawked about the flesh brought by the huntsman. In due course Capa bore him a son, Subhadda. When the baby cried, Capa sang to him saying, Upakas son, ascetics son, game dealers boy, dont cry, thus mocking her husband. In exasperation he told her of his friend Anantajina, but she did not stop teasing him. One day, in spite of her attempts to keep him, he left her and went to the Buddha at Savatthi. The Buddha, seeing him coming, gave orders that anyone asking for Anantajina should be brought to him. Having learnt from Upaka his story, the Buddha had him admitted to the Order. As a result of his meditation, Upaka became an anagami and was reborn in the Aviha heaven (ThigA.220ff; MA.i.388f. Upakas story is also given in SnA.i.258ff, with several variations in detail). The Samyutta Nikaya (i.35, 60) records a visit paid to the Buddha by Upaka and six other beings born in Aviha. According to the Majjhima Commentary (i.389), Upaka became an arahant as soon as he was born in Aviha.

In the Therigatha he is also called Kala (v.309. This may have been a term of affection used because of his dark colour) and his birth place is given as Nala, a village near the Bodhi Tree, where he is said to have been living with his wife at the time he left her (ThigA.225).

Later, Capa, too, left the world and became an arahant Theri.

The Divyavadana (p.393) calls Upaka Upagana.

The enumeration of the Buddhas virtues which was made to Upaka is not regarded as a real dhammadesana because it took place before the preaching of the first sermon. It produced only a vasana bhagiya result, not sekha- or ribaddha bhagiya (UdA.54).

The words of the Buddhas speech to Upaka are often quoted (E.g., Kvu.289).

2. Upaka Mandikaputta - He once visited the Buddha at Gijjhakuta and stated before him his view that whoever starts abusive talk of another,

context information

Theravāda is a major branch of Buddhism having the the Pali canon (tipitaka) as their canonical literature, which includes the vinaya-pitaka (monastic rules), the sutta-pitaka (Buddhist sermons) and the abhidhamma-pitaka (philosophy and psychology).

Languages of India and abroad

Pali-English dictionary

Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionary

upaka : (adj.) approaching; frequenting. (= upage)

Source: Sutta: The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

Upaka, (-°) (for °upaga) found only in comb^n. kulûpaka where second k stands for g. through assimilation with first k. Only with ref. to a bhikkhu = one who frequents a certain family (for the purpose of getting alms), a family friend, associate Vin. I, 192, 208; III, 84; S. II, 200 sq.; A. III, 258 sq.; Nd² 385¹; Pv III, 8⁵; PvA. 266.—f. kulûpikā (bhikkhunī) Vin. II, 268; IV, 66.—Sporadic in gayhūpaka (for °ûpaga) at J. IV, 219. (Page 138)

context information

Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Upāka (उपाक).—a. Ved. Joined together, near.

-ke (du.) An epithet of night and morning; आ भन्दमाने उपाके (ā bhandamāne upāke) Ṛgveda 1.142.7. -ind. In the immediate neighbourhood, before or in the presence of.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary

Upaka (उपक).—(-upaka) (1) at end of cpds. (= Pali -upaka, -ūpaka, °ikā f.; [Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit] also has equivalent -upaga, q.v.), pertaining, belonging to…; suitable, appropriate (to)…; fit (for)…; like: Vajracchedikā. fragment in Pargiter ap. Hoernle [Manuscript Remains of Buddhist literature found in Eastern Turkestan] 180.3—4 naivasaṃjñānopakā(ḥ), haplog. for naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñā- yatanopakāḥ, which read, belonging to the… (= °yatano- pagāḥ Dharmasaṃgraha 129, see -upaga; Vajracchedikā. ed. 20.18—19 reads naivasaṃjñino nāsaṃjñino, a secondary recast); kulopaka (= Pali kulūpaka), lit. belonging to a family, = family associate, said of a monk who is regularly supported by a certain family, Mahāvastu i.244.12 (tasya yo mātāpitṛṇāṃ, so mss., Senart em. °tṝṇāṃ) bhikṣu kulopako āsi; (in Avadāna-śataka ii.67.9 replaced by kulopagata, q.v.; in Mahāvastu iii.453.3 wrongly read by em. in text, see s.v. kalopī;) also, by extension, said of the houses visited by such monks, Divyāvadāna 307.2 kulopaka- (mss. kulopa-) gṛheṣu gatvā, and 3 te kulopakagṛhāṇy upasaṃkrāntāḥ; probably by analogy with this word Mahāvastu iii.372.16 prajñopaka (em. for ājñop°, ājñāp°; context makes em. seem quite certain), dependent on prajñā, (śīlaṃ śiriṃ [so mss.] caiva kṛtajñatā ca) prajñopakā tu pravarā bhavanti, but (the virtues of) morality, majesty, and gratitude are excellent (but) subordi- nate to prajñā; akāryopaka, not fit for use, Kāśyapa Parivarta 131.2 anarghaṃ vaiḍūryamahāmaṇiratnam uccāre patitam akār- yopakaṃ bhavati; yathopakam, adv., according to what is fitting, Mahāvastu iii.257.6; 272.4 (after a seat of honor has been provided for the Buddha) °kaṃ ca bhikṣusaṃghasya, and (seats) for the assembly of monks according to propriety (i.e. relative rank); nirupaka, apparently adj., without a correspondent or match, peerless, unequalled, Gaṇḍavyūha 301.11 (verse) dharmaś ca me nirupakāyu (i.e. nirupaka = °kaḥ [Page133-b+ 71] plus ayu = ayaṃ) śrutaḥ; (2) (= Pali id.) name of a Ājīvaka, with whom Buddha conversed while going to Benares to deliver his First Sermon: Mahāvastu iii.325.12 ff. (note especially 326.20 tasmād ahaṃ upaka jino, a line which elsewhere contains the form Upaga, q.v.); (3) name of a purohita's son in the Upāli-Gaṅgapāla Jātaka: Mahāvastu iii.184.1 ff.; corresponds to the character Aḍḍhamāsaka in the Pali Gaṅgamāla Jātaka (Pali), see Malalasekara (Dictionary of Pali Proper Names).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Upāka (उपाक).—[adjective] neared, joined, close, connected; [locative] ke close by, at hand, present ([with] [genetive]).

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Upāka (उपाक).—[adjective] neared, joined, close, connected; [locative] ke close by, at hand, present ([with] [genetive]).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Upaka (उपक):—[from upa] m. a diminutive for all proper names of men beginning with upa, [Pāṇini 5-3, 80.]

2) Upāka (उपाक):—a See upāñc.

3) [from upāñc] b mf(ā)n. brought near to each other, joined, approximate, (only e) f. [dual number] (said of night and morning), [Ṛg-veda i, 142, 7; x, 110, 6] (upāke), [Atharva-veda v, 12, 6; 27, 8]

4) Upākā (उपाका):—[from upāka > upāñc] f. [dual number] (said of night and morning), [Ṛg-veda i, 142, 7; iii, 4, 6; x, 110, 6]

[Sanskrit to German]

Upaka in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

Relevant text

Search found 17 books and stories containing Upaka, Upāka, Upākā; (plurals include: Upakas, Upākas, Upākās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Part 3 - The story of Upaka and Cāpā < [Chapter 9 - The Buddha Reflecting Deeply on the Profundity of the Dhamma]

Part 3 - The Buddha proceeding to Migadaya < [Chapter 9 - The Buddha Reflecting Deeply on the Profundity of the Dhamma]

Part 46 - The Story of Subhadda, the Wandering Ascetic < [Chapter 40 - The Buddha Declared the Seven Factors of Non-Decline for Rulers]

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Chapter XIX - The Jātaka of Gaṅgapāla < [Volume III]

Chapter XXIX - From Uruvilvā to Benares < [Volume III]

Chapter XXIII - The story of Rāhula < [Volume III]

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Chapter 15 - Founding The Kingdom Upaka Sees The Buddha

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Verse 353 - The Story of Upaka < [Chapter 24 - Taṇhā Vagga (Craving)]

Verse 92 - The Story of Venerable Bellaṭṭhisīsa < [Chapter 7 - Arahanta Vagga (The Saints‌)]